Time's a Changing
by erik.lark
Summary: This fic follows the Bleekers, a family who went into hiding when the second war broke. Now that it's over, they try to get back to their lives. Unfortunately, the world and people they left behind are torn and broken than any one of them could imagine.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Good News Travels Fast**

The sun was rising when Gavin Bleeker came stumbling into the room that his two children shared on the second storey of their small cottage in France. He was carrying a wireless and there seemed to be a lot of shouts and cheers coming out of it. He stopped dead in the middle of the room, and looked down at his children'ssleeping forms. Even though Anthony was twenty-five and an adult in all senses of the word, and Trish had just left Hogwarts the year before, Gavin had never stopped thinking of them as kids; he was sure that no parent saw their children for more than just that: children. More so during times of war. The very possibility of losing their children made every parent want to protect themeven more and this was the case for Gavin and Marie Bleeker.

Gavin had been working in the Ministry of Magic when the war had broken out. He had already seen it coming, and like many of his colleagues, he wasn't sure how safe he was at the Ministry. He had been just a few years out of Hogwarts when the first war began. He remembered going into hiding and the horrible things he had heard on the wireless. Witches and wizards going missing. Children dying. There had been chaos everywhere in the wizarding world. But then along had come this little one-year-old who had put a stop to all the bloodshed: Harry Potter.

There was not a single child in the wizarding world that did not know that name. Gavin himself had told his two children all about Harry Potter as they grew up. And this was especially important for him because Gavin was Muggleborn. If it hadn't been for Harry Potter, he would probably have cut himself out from the wizarding world entirely and his children would have never been born and therefore would never have had the chance of going to Hogwarts.

Looking down at the slow breathing of his two children, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, when he was listening to the wireless over breakfast with Marie, he had heard the announcer report that there had been a battle at Hogwarts and it was being reported that Harry Potter had, once again, saved them all and finally destroyed the Dark Lord.

Hardly able to believe it, Marie turned up the volume of the wireless and listened more closely to the reporter, who was saying, "Yes, yes. We have just received word from our source in the school that it's over. The war is _over_! He Who Must Not Be Named has finally been destroyed _forever_!" There was a pause in the transmission as the wireless emitted a buzzing sound and when the announcer came back on there was cheering in the background. "There's no need to clean your ears out, friends. It's over. It's _really over_." The announcer gave a soft sniff and continued, "We will be right back with more news from Hogwarts."

Gavin stared at his wife for a moment before jumping to his feet and pulling her into a tight hug. Behind them, a soft popping sound came from the fireplace and his sister-in-law'shead appeared out of the fire. "Did you hear, Mer?" Marie released herself from her husband's arms and ran over to the fireplace. "Yes! Do you –" She broke off, her voice catching in her throat."Do you think it's true?"

"Well, I'd think so. That station I was listening to had been taking You Know Who's side all along. They wouldn't just come out with a story like that if they didn't think it wouldn'tcome back and bite them."

Gavin stood behind his wife and looked down at his sister-in-law's head. "If it _is_ true, we'll finally be able to get out of this dodgy little cottage. I'm sure the kids will love that." And then he remembered. The kids.

As he made for the stairs, he grabbed the wireless on the kitchen table and turned the volume down just a bit. Now, standing in front of his two children, tears rolled down his face. If it was true... _We're safe. They're safe._ And as he brushed a loose strand of hair out of his daughter's face, he smiled and whispered softly, "We can finally go home."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Breathing Easy**

Anthony pulled his wand out from inside his sleeve when he heard his father shout his name, and sat up in his bed, pointing the wand at the door. He was panting softly and sweat glistened onhis face and neck. He had been having a bad dream again. Upon seeing his father giving him an inquisitive smile, he scowled slightly and lowered his wand. "Merlin, Dad. I could've hexed you."

Gavin grinned down at his son and threw a pair of Anthony's jeans at him. "Get up. There's been news." Kneeling down by his daughter Trish's bedside (Trish had an uncanny ability to be able to sleep even if the wireless was on the loudest setting), he shook her gently. "Trish, honey. Time to wake up." He gave her another shake, this time a little harder, and watched her stir.

"Whadthehac Da," she mumbled incoherently. Opening her eyes a fraction, she saw her father's nose right in front of her face and she shot up, banging her head against the headboard of the bed. "Bloody _hell_, Dad!"

Gavin stood up and laughed. It was the first time he had really laughed since he had moved his family to his wife Marie's parents' old cottage in the French countryside. Putting the wireless down on the dresser, he turned back to his children, who were both sitting on the edge of the bed wondering if their father had gone crazy. "Here, listen for yourself."

"—being rounded up as I tell you this. Bodies are now being removed from Hogwarts, some of Death Eaters and others of the brave fighters who helped The Boy Who Lived defeat the Dark Lord. And yes, we have now confirmed that The Order of The Phoenix were among the fighters and many of the of-age students stayed behind to fight as well. We will have the names of the fallen heroes of Hogwarts when the list comes in. And yes, my friends, if you have just joined us, the war is _over_. The Dark Lord has fallen and the Death Eaters who weren't captured at Hogwarts are on the run."

Anthony had been tenseas he listened to the report and when the announcer's words had changed to cries of joy from the rest of the station news team, he looked from his sister to his father. "Is... is it true, Dad?"

"Your aunt thinks it is, and you know how informed she is with the French ministry. And it's on all the other stations, too."

Anthony's next words were drowned out by Trish's screech and he saw his sister throw her arms around their father. Standing up, he walked over to his father and sister and hugged them too, his eyes filling with tears. As they broke apart and made for the stairs, the wireless continued in the background. "My sources tell me that it was the Boy Who Lived himself who brought the Dark Lord down. Harry Potter and his friends, the Muggle-born Hermione Granger and pureblood Ronald Weasley, son of Ministry employee Arthur Weasley, managed to sneak into the school in the middle of the night and right under Severus Snape's nose, round up the Order of the Phoenix and as many fighters as they could. It's being reported that they got the under-age students out through a secret passageway that links the school to one of the shops in Hogsmeade village."

The report broke off again with cheers, and both Trish and Anthony went up to their mother and hugged her tightly. Pulling away from them, she smiled and looked over to Gavin. "Danielle said she'll go and check what's going on with her Ministry and will Floo over later." Gavin nodded, brought the wireless back into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea.

Walking into the kitchen after her husband, Marie eyed him and waved her wand at the cupboard, from where four glasses and a bottle of wine came flying. "Oh to hell with tea, Gav. I think a nice glass of wine's in order." With another flick of her wand, three glasses filled with wine went flying to the rest of her family and she took hers. "A little early, don't you think, Mum?" Anthony asked his mother suspiciously.

"Oh rubbish. If what that lot –" she pointed to the wireless, "– are saying is true, we could all use a drink now." She raised her glass. "To the heroes of Hogwarts." The other three murmured the same softly and each took sips of the wine.

Sitting down, Anthony looked back at the wireless as another voice began to speak. "We have just confirmed that Kingsley Shacklebolt of the Auror office has been named temporary Minister of Magic and that he was one of the survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts."

Gavin put his glass down and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "That's been one of the best moves the Ministry has made since..." He paused, unable to complete his sentence because at that moment, he really couldn't remember the last time the Ministry had made a good decision.

"Speaking of the Ministry, love..." Marie looked up from the eggs she had just put on the stove, "If the war's over, shouldn't you be getting back to see what you can do to help?"

Gavin looked back to his wife then at his children. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. When he finally opened them, he looked directly at Anthony and grinned. "The Ministry has survived without me for months; they can survive another day or so, right?" Getting up and grabbing a piece of toast of the table, he motioned to the door. "Fancy some Quidditch practice, son?" And as Anthony grinned back and nodded, the two Bleeker men headed out into the cool morning and summoned their brooms for what seemed like the first time in years.


End file.
